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Water-to-Go Filter Bottle

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The Wilderness Gathering

If you’ve never been to the Gathering before and you love nature and the outdoors, then this is the family show for you – Wilderness Gathering, a unique Bushcraft event, is the longest running and still the original festival of bushcraft, survival and primitive living skills.

The Gathering has become a social event and brings together families and friends, all those interested in Bushcraft and Wilderness living skills to enjoy a weekend of knowledge sharing in a relaxed and family friendly atmosphere

Live Music

Not only is the Gathering the place you to come to – to learn new skills, brush up on your old ones and meet some of the best bushcraft experts in the country but it has also become, over the past fifteen years, the place you come to – to gather and socialise round the campfire with friends, old and new.

Children’s Bushcraft

The Coyote Clubs were introduced in 2005 and host a comprehensive range of events and activities specifically tailored for children from 5 to 15 year old.

The Masterclass

The Masterclasses were introduced in 2005 and are your opportunity to study your favourite Bushcraft subject in depth with a leading Bushcraft instructors.

Where is it?

Located on a South Wiltshire farm with lakes and 30 acres of old oak woodlands. You get access to woodlands and fields to erect whatever shelter you want.

Here is another very good reason to prep, to prepare enough supplies for your family as Brexit approaches.

Whilst the government has acknowledged the need to avoid a cliff-edge after Brexit day, a customs union in itself won’t solve the problem of delays at ports.

So to ensure supply chains are not disrupted and goods continue to reach the shelves, agreements on security, transit, haulage, drivers, VAT and other checks will be required to get systems ready for March 2019.

Britain’s food industry has warned that labour shortages after Brexit could leave over a third of its businesses unviable.

In a survey of the Farm to Fork supply from the Food and Drink Industry, 36% of businesses said they would be unable to adapt if they did not have access to EU labour after Brexit.

A severe labour shortage is becoming a realistic outcome in a sector dominated by European workers.

Thirty percent of the UK food and drink manufacturing workforce are European migrants, and the Brexit vote already appears to be deterring EU workers from moving in Britain.

I also thin k that food prices in the UK will increase if EU workers leave the country post Brexit, food and drink industry groups have already warned the government.

THE UK’s coming food shortages will make the nation’s allotment gardeners into the undisputed rulers of the country, experts have confirmed.

As rocketing prices and scarcity of produce become increasingly likely in the wake of Brexit, those with the ability to grow their own fruit and vegetables are poised to receive the universal adulation they always believed they deserved.

Perhaps it’s time to plough the lawn and start food planting instead.

Possible Pandemic Madagascan Plague at CRISIS point.

Over the last five days, cases have jumped by 37 percent fueled by a strain that is even more deadly than the Black Death which left 200 MILLION dead across the world

Over the last five days, cases have jumped by 37 percent with the WHO no tracking a suspected 1,801 cases.

The deadly outbreak, which is now worse than any other plague outbreak in the last 50 years, is being fueled by a strain that is even more deadly than the Black Death which left 200 MILLION dead across the world.

According to health experts, this current outbreak is actually made up of THREE plagues: Bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic.

Of those, the Pneumonic form, a super strain of the yersinia pestis bacterium which ALWAYS results in death, is most concerning because of how quickly it’s spreading.

Two-thirds of this year’s cases have been caused by the airborne pneumonic plague, which can be spread from person to person through coughing, sneezing or bodily fluids.

It is different to the traditional bubonic form that strikes the country each year and is a more dangerous form of the disease.

Untreated, about 30 to 60 percent of people who contract bubonic plague die. Untreated pneumonic plague is always deadly, typically within 24 hours of disease onset.

World Health Organisation advice warns: “The pneumonic form is invariably fatal unless treated early. It is especially contagious and can trigger severe epidemics through person-to-person contact via droplets in the air.”

WHO has delivered nearly1.2 million doses of antibiotics and released US$1.5 million dollars in emergency funds to fight plague in Madagascar.

Meanwhile, the Red Cross has been training hundreds of volunteers on the island to publicise preventative measures.

Plague Facts

Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, a zoonotic bacteria, usually found in small mammals and their fleas.

People infected with plague usually develop “flu-like” symptoms after an incubation period of 3-7 days. Typical symptoms are the sudden onset of fever, chills, head and body-aches and weakness, vomiting and nausea.

There are three forms of plague infection, depending on the route of infection: bubonic, septicaemic and pneumonic.

Bubonic plague is the most common form of plague and is caused by the bite of an infected flea. Plague bacillus, Y. pestis, enters at the bite and travels through the lymphatic system to the nearest lymph node where it replicates itself.

The lymph node then becomes inflamed, tense and painful, and is called a “bubo”. At advanced stages of the infection the inflamed lymph nodes can turn into suppurating open sores.

There is no inter human transmission of bubonic plague.

Septicaemic plague occurs when infection spreads through the bloodstream Septicaemic plague may result from flea bites and from direct contact with infective materials through cracks in the skin.

Advanced stages of the bubonic form of plague will also lead to direct spread of Y. pestis in the blood.

Pneumonic plague-or lung-based plague- is the most virulent and least common form of plague.

Typically, the pneumonic form is caused by spread to the lungs from advanced bubonic plague.

However, a person with secondary pneumonic plague may form aerosolized infective droplets and transmit plague via droplets to other humans.

Untreated pneumonic plague has a case-fatality ratio close to 100%.

Treatment

Untreated plague can be rapidly fatal, so early diagnosis and treatment are essential for survival and reduction of complications.

If diagnosed early, plague can be cured with antibiotics and supportive care.

Place all ingredients in a bowl. Bring water, honey to a boil and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Add water a little at a time until mixture is just moist enough to mould.

Place in a small square dish and dry in the oven under very low heat.

Wrap and store

This will make 2 bars, each containing approx. 1000 calories or enough food for one day. These will store for a long time if they are cooked until quite dry, and are excellent for emergency packs, etc. Eat dry, or cooked in about 3/4 Cup of water.

One bar contains only half of the nutrients of the whole recipe and therefore you may wish to set aside two bars per day to get the following:

Probably the biggest problem is the low vitamin C. However, in a pinch, a person could live a long time off these bars alone.

They are also a bit short in the calorie department, but are excellent in protein, over half of the B vitamins, and excellent in the minerals category.

I think that nutritionally they really smash most of the expensive bars you can buy from the different shops etc. and properly sealed would probably last as long.

High Energy Survival Bars

Ingredients

2 lbs pitted dates

2 lbs figs

2 lbs raisins

2 cups cashew nuts

2 cups sesame seeds

2 cups peanut butter

Directions

Mix all ingredients except for peanut butter through a meat grinder or use a pestle and mortar

Add peanut butter and mix well.

Roll out into 1/2 inch thick sheets.

Cut into bars and wrap well.

This amount will make around 60 2 ounce bars

Home-made Survival Energy Bars

This home-made energy bar recipe is packed full of goodies and will sustain even the most exhausted prepper, survivalist or zombie hunter out there.

Wrap them individually and make extras for tucking into BOB (Bug Out Bags) or GHB (Get Home Bags) backpacks etc.

Stir in the granola, raisins, hazelnuts and M&M’s and mix until combined.

Transfer to the pan and distribute evenly over the bottom, pressing firmly with your hands.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Cool and cut into bars or squares. Serves 8 to 12.

Why not add powdered Vitamin C to the mix.

It is easy to make your own with lemon or orange peels by cutting them up into small pieces and drying in a dehydrator/oven and then grinding them up with a coffee grinder/ pestle and mortar.

Dangerous Times

Kim Jong-Un has threatened the U.S. island of Guam with a nuclear strike.

I have researched some facts regarding the effects of such an attack over Guam. I say over as this would produce greater blast/shock waves than a ground burst. This is because non of it’s energy is used to make a crater at GZ.

Firstly it is very important to understand that radiacoive fallout is really minimal in comparason to a ground burst as there is no dust, dirt etc. to be sucked up into the atmospher, ionised and then fallback to earth as radioactive fallout.

Secondly radioactive fallout can only go where the wind blows it and at the speed of the wind too.

Now if a N. Korean nuclear attack was to be a ground burst then I am talking about a silent deadly wind heading away from Guam at approx. 90% in other words straight towards the next population center which is the Phillipines followed by Vietnam, Cambodia, and possibly even Indonesia and Singapore.

However the truth of the matter is that any radioactive wind system would actually travel around the world.

As you cannot smell, hear, see or taste radioactive fallout in its finist form this poses a danger to every citizen on the planet.

One detonation would be horrible but if there is a nuclear retaliation things go from horrible to hell.

It is in your best interests to know what to do in this event, how to protect you and yours, and the do’s and dont’s to survive.

The Facts and the Knowledge YOU need to Survive

The blast from a nuclear weapon is incredibly powerful, but it still obeys the laws of physics; the intensity of the destruction drops off rapidly as you move away from the exact centre of the explosion – Ground Zero.

It doesn’t drop in a straight line either, but roughly follows the inverse square law. That basically means the effects of the weapon fall by the square of the distance from Ground Zero; if you’re twice as far away the effects will be about a quarter as destructive, and if you’re three times as far away they’ll be one-ninth as destructive.

These figures aren’t rock solid, and vary depending on the height the weapon explodes at and the shape of the ground, but they’re a pretty good rule of thumb.

Even with a very large weapon, you don’t have to be that far away from it for the level of destruction to fall from total to survivable – and, even in a full-scale attack, huge parts of the country would escape the immediate effects completely.

So if the risk of a nuclear attack increases, unless you live in a major city or right beside a strategic target, it’s definitely worth preparing your home to give it – and you – the best chance of survival.

If you’re going to prepare for a nuclear attack, first you need to know what the dangers are. When the warhead detonates there are basically five ways it can kill you:

Thermal pulse – A very intense flash of heat and light

Blast – Overpressure and high winds

Initial radiation – A pulse of X-Ray and gamma radiation

Residual radiation – Alpha and beta radiation released by the ground around Ground Zero

Fallout – Radioactive particles scattered by the explosion

First, forget about the initial radiation. This is a single brief pulse, lasting a few seconds, and its intensity falls off by the inverse square law.

If you’re more than 3,000 feet from the explosion you won’t pick up a dangerous exposure. In other words, unless it’s a very small weapon, if you’re close enough to have to worry about prompt radiation the thermal pulse or blast will already have killed you anyway.

Residual radiation is more of a problem, but it’s an easily avoided one. When a nuke goes off on the surface, or in the air but low enough for a significant gamma pulse to hit the surface, the ground itself will become radioactive.

It emits alpha particles, which can be stopped by a gas mask and heavy clothing, and more dangerous beta particles, which will penetrate the body of a vehicle.

Residual Radiation can be dangerous weeks after the blast. Luckily, you don’t need to expose yourself to it.

Simply don’t go near craters or areas of complete destruction.

So we’re left with three things you need to protect against: Thermal pulse, blast and fallout. With the right preparation you can make your home much more resistant to all of these. Here’s how to do it.

Thermal pulse

A nuclear weapon releases a huge amount of energy, and about a third of it comes out as electromagnetic radiation.

This radiation covers a wide spectrum, from gamma and X-Ray through UV, radio frequency, visible light and infra-red, and it’s extremely intense.

All this energy delivers a lot of heat; anything close to the explosion will be heated enough to turn it into plasma, and even eight miles from a one-megaton airburst the energy intensity is high enough to cause third-degree burns.

Obviously that’s also enough heat to start fires, and as you get closer to the explosion the risk will go up geometrically.

The good news is, if you take the right precautions your home can be safe from fire at a distance where an unprepared one would burn.

First, clear away anything flammable from around your home.

Dead vegetation will flare up easily and scatter sparks; even if the flash from the weapon doesn’t burn your house down, burning leaves can do it.

Inside, remove anything flammable from windowsills and check your curtains. Light or net curtains need to be taken down, but if you have heavy, lined ones leave them up and closed – they’ll help protect against flying glass if the windows break.

Next, get some white emulsion paint and give the exterior of all your windows a coat.

People laugh at this advice, but it can make a huge difference.

White paint will reflect most of the pulse’s energy and keep it out of your home; without it there’s a very high risk of fires starting inside.

Some people argue that the blast will break your windows anyway, but they’re wrong.

First, in the right conditions the thermal pulse can start fires a lot further away than the blast can break windows.

Secondly, the blast wave is very fast – the shock front can propagate outwards at over three miles per second – but the thermal pulse is travelling at the speed of light.

Even if the blast arrives before the flash has faded you’ll still keep a lot of that thermal energy outside.

If you have a bit more time, paint as much of your house white as you can.

Start on walls that face towards likely nuclear targets – if there’s an airbase five miles away, do that side first.

Your aim here is exactly the same; to reflect as much thermal radiation as possible. Every bit of energy you can reflect back off your walls reduces the risk of a fire.

Sort out as many fire extinguishers and buckets of water or sand as you can.

Keep in your fallout room (I’ll discuss that later).

Cover water buckets; that way you can use them for drinking, too.

Finally, if you hear an attack warning or you have to leave home for a while, turn off the gas and electricity at the mains. That will cut the risk of damage causing a fire.

Blast

Blast is the hardest effect to defend against. The explosion’s shock front will push a fast-moving wave of highly compressed air along with it; close to the explosion this move at three or four times the speed of sound, and it’s very destructive.

The good news is human bodies can survive overpressure up to about 30psi, and anything close enough to face that amount of pressure will almost certainly be vaporized by the thermal pulse.

The bad news is that even heavy concrete buildings won’t survive much above 20psi, and 5psi is enough to collapse the average home.

You are much more blast-resistant than your house, but that won’t help if it collapses on you.

Most fatalities from blast will be indirect, and caused by collapsing buildings.

There are a few things you can do though.

Heavy curtains will slow or stop flying glass, which can save you from injuries if a weapon explodes before you have a chance to get to your fallout room.

If you can, cut down any trees that could fall on your home – because if they can fall on it, a nuclear blast pretty much guarantees that they will.

Clear away loose items from outside. Rubbish bins or bikes, picked up by the blast and slammed into the front wall of your house, can make the difference between it making it through the explosion or collapsing on top of you.

Lightweight wooden sheds or barns will go down at a much lower overpressure than your house so move anything vital out of them. If they’re really flimsy, knock them down yourself; that’s better than having them turned into flying missiles.

Once the overpressure of the blast wave moves on it’s followed by a sudden drop in pressure, then another reflected blast wave as air rushes back into the low-pressure area behind the shock front.

This means stuff can be picked up and thrown at your home from all directions. The sudden pressure changes can be enough to make some buildings literally explode.

Don’t leave doors or windows open to try and prevent this though; if the blast wave is powerful enough to explode your house it will break the windows anyway.

Fallout

When a nuclear weapon explodes only a small amount of its mass – a few pounds – is converted into energy.

The rest, which can be anywhere up to a ton, is superheated by the reaction and turned to incredibly hot, highly radioactive plasma.

Tons of dust and debris – if the fireball created by the explosion touches the ground, thousands of tons – will be sucked up through the fireball and mixed with the plasma, which will cool and condense as the fireball dissipates.

All this dust – blasted by radiation, fused together with bomb material and reduced to the consistency of fine sand – is pumped up into the mushroom cloud and dispersed to become fallout.

The heavier particles will start falling downwind of Ground Zero within minutes of the blast; the lighter ones, depending on how high they go, can be carried into the stratosphere’s high-altitude winds and come down almost anywhere in the world.

In the two weeks following a nuclear attack the whole planet will get a very light dusting of fallout.

Don’t give up hope just yet, though. Fallout doesn’t stay dangerous forever. Its radioactivity falls according to the 7/10 rule – for every sevenfold increase in time since the blast, radiation levels drop to a tenth of what they were:

An hour after the explosion the fallout might be creating a radiation level of 1,000 roentgens per hour (R/hr); five minutes’ exposure to this is often enough to cause radiation sickness.

Half an hour will kill about half the people who’re exposed, and everyone who’s exposed to it for an hour will be dead inside a few days.

After another seven hours the radiation level will have fallen to 100R/hr;

49 hours later it’s down to 10R/hr.

Two weeks after the attack it will be 1R/hr, and at that point you can be exposed for several hours a day without serious risk of radiation sickness.

A year after the attack radiation levels will be close to normal background levels.

The Fallout Room

The key to survival is to avoid the fallout until its initial extreme radioactivity has decayed to a less dangerous level.

To do this you need to prepare a fallout room in your home.

Ideally this should be an inside room with no external walls.

Firstly, it’s easier to keep fallout from getting into it.

Secondly, any radiation from fallout outside that penetrates the walls will lose intensity with distance – remember that inverse square law – and will also be partly absorbed by walls and furniture.

Choose a room as far from the roof as possible, because fallout will collect there – and, if it’s damaged, the lethal dust will get through.

If you have a basement, use that; it will be almost completely protected against radiation from outside.

Many homes don’t have a room with no external walls, so you’ll have to improvise.

Pick a room at the downwind side if you can, because less fallout will be blown up against the walls.

Now seal the room as well as you can. Block up any windows, air vents or other openings as tightly as you can.

Try not to just seal them with plastic sheet on the inside, because if any fallout gets through it’s going to be trapped between the plastic and the wall. That means any radiation from it will be in the room with you, and you really need to keep it outside.

Once the room is sealed you have to thicken the walls.

The main hazard is going to be gamma radiation, and that can make it through a few inches of wood or nearly an inch of aluminium.

The more mass you can put between yourself and the fallout, the better.

If you have the time and materials reinforce the outside of the external walls to a height of six feet above the floor.

A layer of brick or cinder block is good.

If you can’t do that, sandbags are good – use stakes and wire to hold them in place so they can resist blast, or stack them on the inside.

Stacks of books will also absorb gamma particles, and you can use heavy furniture too. Basically any dense, heavy material will absorb the radiation before it can reach into your fallout room.

There’s some stuff you should store in the fallout room, because you’re going to be staying in there for two weeks after the attack.

The first thing is food,ideally food that can be eaten cold.

Then stock as much water as possible, in sealed or at least covered containers – water in an uncovered bucket can collect any fallout that does get it.

Firefighting equipment and camping gear should be in your fallout room, and any comforts you have space for.

You’ll also need either a chemical toilet, or a bucket and a supply of strong rubbish bags to line it with.

Put two rubbish bins, with lids, right outside the door of the fallout room; use one for bags from the toilet bucket, and the other for the rest of your garbage.

There’s one more thing to do.

Inside the fallout room, as far away from outside walls as possible, you need to build your inner refuge.

This is a small, heavily shielded shelter for maximum protection from radiation. If you have a big, heavy table you can use that as a base.

Pile up heavy furniture, sandbags, books and anything else dense around it, cover it so it’s as enclosed as possible and have some boxes full of books or dirt that can be pulled in front of the entrance.

If you don’t have a table take off one or two doors – take them from upstairs if you can – and prop them at 60° against the wall.

Secure them by nailing a strip of wood to the floor so they can’t slide, and cover them with books or sandbags.

Again, have something to block the entrance.

After an attack get into your fallout room as soon as possible, and into the inner refuge.

For at least 48 hours, only leave the inner refuge when it’s absolutely necessary.

Radiation is at its highest during this time and most likely there will be a raised level inside the fallout room; stay as protected as you can.

After two days you can spend more time outside the refuge, but don’t leave the fallout room.

When you need to get rid of toilet waste or rubbish just open the door as far as necessary, drop the bag in the right rubbish bin and shut the door right away.

Close it smoothly though – don’t slam it. The last thing you want to do is stir up any dust, because some of it will be fallout.

Stay in the fallout room for at least two weeks, and longer if you can; sleep in the inner refuge, and if you’re not doing anything go in there as well.

The more protected you are the better.

Preparing your house seems like a lot of work, but you can do a pretty good job of it in two or three days.

It’s worth the effort. If that two or three days makes the difference between your house catching fire or not, you’ll have a safe place to shelter from the fallout.

Don’t prepare your home and there’s a good chance you’ll be out there, desperately looking for shelter, as the radioactive dust starts to fall.

If that happens your chances of survival aren’t high – and when that’s your alternative, preparing your home to resist the attack doesn’t seem like that big a job.

Tom Linden

Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Radiation Advisor IPN

Top preparedness uses for black bags

Black bags can be used by preppers for dozens of purposes besides rubbish disposal.

I like heavy duty bags because they’re larger and more durable than the typical kitchen variety.

Poncho:

It’s not very stylish but there have been a few of times when I’ve used my knife to make a poncho out of a black bag in order to stay dry.

Simply cut holes for your head and your arms and you’re ready to go.

Be careful not to cut the holes too large and if the poncho seems too baggy tie a belt or piece of 550 paracord around your waist.

This isn’t something you’d want to use in a warm environment because you’d get wet anyway from perspiration but if a black bag can get between you and cold rain it might be worth making such an awful fashion statement.

Shelter: Cutting your black bag open (to give you more surface area) and adding it to the top and sides of an improvised shelter like a brush shelter, lean to or fallen tree shelter will make it more weatherproof and provide better insulation.

If you are small enough or your garbage bag is big enough you can also use it to build improvised shelters using the poncho hooch designs I’ve previously presented also using 550 cord.

If you have duct tape, you could also join two or more garbage bags together to weatherproof your shelter.

Another option is putting the foot of your sleeping bag in a trash bag…I’ve used this technique in wet weather when my shelter couldn’t accommodate my whole body.

Ground sheet: For best results keep a breathable layer between you and the black bag (like a blanket or sleeping bag) to keep from sweating.

Forage Bag: When I travel I often bring an empty bag just in case I end up bringing home more than I took with me.

A black bag can fit this role for your bug out bag.

If you see something you want to take along as you’re bugging out or heading home you can pull out your black bag and throw it in, fold it up and toss it over your back or strap it to your bag.

Water Carrier: A black bag isn’t the best or most durable water carrier but does give you another option for carrying untreated water until you can get it back to camp to filter and purify it. Potable

Water Foraging: Y ou can use a black bag to collect rainwater or build a solar still.

Pack Cover: Your bug out bag or pack should be waterproof but if you find it’s not or you’ve strapped something like a sleeping bag that’s not waterproof to the outside of your pack you can easily pull a black bag over your pack or wrap your blanket or sleeping bag.

A bungee cord or some 550 cord can be used to secure the black bag around your pack or gear.

Sealing a Chest Wound: Some basic training, a plastic bag and a little Duct Tape is all you need to provide first aid for a sucking chest wound.

Port-a-Potty Liner: There’s a 5 gallon bucket in my inner refuge, just in case…some people call it a honey bucket but there’s nothing sweet involved.

Animal Proofing: Even a heavy duty black bag isn’t going to stop anything mouse size or larger…until you hang it in a tree using that 550 cord I have previously discussed.

So pop down to the supermarket and stock up.

Black bags can be used by preppers for dozens of purposes besides rubbish disposal. I like heavy duty bags because they’re larger and more durable than the typical kitchen variety.

Poncho: It’s not very stylish but there have been a few of times when I’ve used my knife to make a poncho out of a black bag in order to stay dry. Simply cut holes for your head and your arms and you’re ready to go.

Be careful not to cut the holes too large and if the poncho seems too baggy tie a belt or piece of 550 paracord around your waist.

This isn’t something you’d want to use in a warm environment because you’d get wet anyway from perspiration but if a black bag can get between you and cold rain it might be worth making such an awful fashion statement.

Dry Salting Technique for Sauerkraut

Since living in Germany and visiting Poland 5 times I cannot get enough sauerkraut. So I thought I wouls look into making my own.

Sauerkraut, like most fermentations, involves a succession of several different organisms.

The fermentation involves a broad community of bacteria, with a succession of different dominant players, determined by the increasing acidity.

Do not be deterred by the biological complexity of the transformation.

That happens on its own once you create the simple conditions for it.

Sauerkraut is very easy to make.

The sauerkraut method is also referred to as dry-salting, because typically no water is added and the juice under which the vegetables are submerged comes from the vegetables themselves.

This is the simplest and most straightforward method, and results in the most concentrated vegetable flavour.

Time: 3 days to 3 months (and beyond)

Container: 1-litre wide-mouth jar, or a larger jar or ceramic dish.

Ingredients (for 1 litre):

1 kilogram of vegetables per litre, any varieties of cabbage alone or in combination, or at least half cabbage and the remainder any combination of radishes, turnips, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes, onions, shallots, leeks, garlic, greens, peppers, or other vegetables

Approximately 1 tablespoon salt (start with a little less, add if needed after tasting)

Other seasonings as desired, such as caraway seeds, juniper berries, dill, chilli peppers, ginger, turmeric, dried cranberries, or whatever you can conjure in your imagination

Method:

Prepare the vegetables. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and reserve.

Scrub the root vegetables but do not peel. Chop or grate all vegetables into a bowl.

The purpose of this is to expose surface area in order to pull water out of the vegetables, so that they can be submerged under their own juices.

The finer the veggies are shredded, the easier it is to get juices out, but size does not really matter

Salt and season. Salt the vegetables lightly and add seasonings as you chop.

Sauerkraut does not require heavy salting.

Taste after the next step and add more salt or seasonings, if desired. It is always easier to add salt than to remove it.

Squeeze the salted vegetables with your hands for a few.

This bruises the vegetables, breaking down cell walls and enabling them to release their juices.

Squeeze until you can pick up a handful and when you squeeze, juice releases (as from a wet sponge).

Pack the salted and squeezed vegetables into your jar. Press the vegetables down with force, using your fingers or a blunt tool, so that air pockets are expelled and juice rises up and over the vegetables.

Fill the jar not quite all the way to the top, leaving a little space for expansion.

The vegetables have a tendency to float to the top of the brine, so it’s best to keep them pressed down, using one of the cabbage’s outer leaves, folded to fit inside the jar, or a carved chunk of a root vegetable, or a small glass or ceramic insert.

Screw the top on the jar; lactic acid bacteria are anaerobic and do not need oxygen (though they can function in the presence of oxygen).

However, be aware that fermentation produces carbon dioxide, so pressure will build up in the jar and needs to be released daily, especially the first few days when fermentation will be most vigorous.

Wait. Be sure to loosen the top to relieve pressure each day for the first few days.

The rate of fermentation will be faster in a warm environment, slower in a cool one.

Some people prefer their krauts lightly fermented for just a few days; others prefer a stronger, more acidic flavour that develops over weeks or months.

Taste after just a few days, then a few days later, and at regular intervals to discover what you prefer. Along with the flavour, the texture changes over time, beginning crunchy and gradually softening.

Move to the refrigerator if you wish to stop (or rather slow) the fermentation. In a cool environment, kraut can continue fermenting slowly for months.

In the summer or in a heated room, its life cycle is more rapid; eventually it can become soft and mushy.

Enjoy your kraut! I start eating it when the kraut is young and enjoy its evolving flavour over the course of a few weeks (or months in a large batch).

Be sure to try the sauerkraut juice that will be left after the kraut is eaten. Sauerkraut juice packs a strong flavour, and is unparalleled as a digestive tonic or hangover cure.

Tips…

Surface growth – The most common problem that people encounter in fermenting vegetables is surface growth of yeasts and/or moulds, which are caused by oxygen.

Many books refer to this as “scum,” but I prefer to think of it as a bloom. It’s a surface phenomenon, a result of contact with the air.

If you should encounter surface growth, remove as much of it as you can, along with any discoloured or soft kraut from the top layer, and throw away.

The fermented vegetables beneath will generally look, smell, and taste fine. The surface growth can break up as you remove it, making it impossible to remove all of it. Don’t worry.

Develop a rhythm – Start a new batch before the previous one runs out. Get a few different flavours or styles going at once for variety. Experiment!

Variations – Add a little fresh vegetable juice and dispense with the need to squeeze or pound.